Apparatus for manufacturing producer-gas.



G. G. CARSON. AI'PARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PRODUCER GAS.

APPLIUATIOK FILED 30116, 1908.

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GEORGE CAMPBELL CARSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNI VERSAL SANITARY REDUCTION AND POWER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FORNIA.

AP PARAT US FOR MANUFACTURING PRODUCER-GAS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 10, 1911.

Application filed November 16, 1908. Serial No. 462,929.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE CAMPBELL CARSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for ManufacturingProducer-Gas and Carrying on Destructive Distillation, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to an apparatus for the purpose of destroying such materials as sewer sludge, manure, garbage, wood or any other like substances, the result of wastes of a city or town. Its object is to produce from such materials, what is called producer gas, as well as to effect the fractional distillation of alcohol, ammonia, oils and other volatile substances.

Such refuse as comes from cities and houses, is usually more or less wet and has all kinds of materials mixed with it. These materials are destroyed in different ways. In some places they are burned in furnaces or they may be used as fertilizers after the necessary decomposition has taken place. The most satisfactory way, however, of destroying them is by burning, since the resultant ash is very small in quantity, and the heat generated in the destruction of the garbage may be utilized for various purposes, but a great disadvantage of theordinary furnace is that the smoke has a very bad odor. With this apparatus the smoke is entirely consumed and such gases as leave the apparatus have no disagreeable odor.

In the drawings in which the samenur moral of reference is applied to the same parts throughout, Figure 1 is a sectional view in plan of my apparatus, Fig. 2 isa transverse vertical sectional view, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view.

The numeral l represents the ground in which the apparatus is sunk for convenience in loading garbage into the shaft. The numeral 2 represents the sides of the shaft, which are made of any suitable refractory material, as fire brick. At the bottom 3 of the shaft there are a series of ash-hoppers 4, having dumping gates 5, one of the walls of the shaft is cut away in order that a car C running on tracks 6 may be run under the ash-hop pers at the bottom of the shaft. This car is hoisted to the surface when loaded with ashes, through a suitable shaft 7 by means of a cage 8. Between the main shaft and the hoisting shaft there is a second shaft 9", which is adapted to be used as a manway pumpingshaft or for containing any desired machinery, such as ventilating apparatus.

At the top of the ash-hoppers there are a series of twyers 10 whlch lead from a space 11 into the shaft, said space being for the purpose of observing the combustion at the level of the twyers, and 10 is an air supply duct for the twyers. Below the twyers there are a series of holes 12 for the purpose of punching the ashes and slag, that may form in the shaft, in order that the charge may be kept compact.

At the end of the shaft opposite from the hoist, there are a series of four flues 13, let, 15, and 16 and in the walls of the shaft there are a number of conduits 17 openings being made from each conduit into the shaft. As many of these conduits can be made as desired and each conduit may lead to a separate condenser, 01- they can be connected'in groups that would separate the diflerent vapors as desired. In the drawings three conduits 17 have been shown,

connected with the flue 13 and two with each of the other flues. The gases discharged in the said flues may be conducted to any desired point, a pipe 18 being pro vided in each flue to pump any condensed' liquid therefrom. Extending across the top of the shaft near its longitudinal center is a header 19 having a connection 2O with a snitabl'e' exhausting apparatus. Extending through the bottom of the header are a series of.v pipes 21 said pipes ex tending nearly 'tothe level of the twyers, the object of said pipes being to draw a supply of air, into the burning mass of garbage in the shaft. The pipes 21- are of such a length as to maintain the proper bed of burning material and only enough suction is applied to the pipes to draw in the air necessary to maintain said bed of burning material at the point of combustion. This mass of burning material will give off heat enough to start combustion in other places and cause the desired production of gases and distillates of various kinds, the majority of said products passing into the openings in the side of the shaft where the liquids con dense in the flues 13 to 16. The first three sets of horizontal lines are connected with the flue 13. The next two horizontal flues are connected with the flue 14, while the next two fiues are connected to the flue 15, and the two upper horizontal fines are connected to the fine 16.

It is to be noted that the garbage and other wastes above referred to are usually very Wet, often containing as much as ($0 or even 70% of water. Since this material is so very wet, it is necessary to have a shaft of great depth, in order that the material may be treated very slowly and in order that fresh loads of material may not put out the fire. With such an apparatus as this, it is contemplated that the depth of material in the shaft will be from 100 to 200 feet.

In operation, a quantity of easily combustible material is first thrown into the shaft, after which any desired amount of garbage or other wastes may also be dumped into the shaft. The exhausting engine may then be started and air drawn into the shaft and the fire begun. Owing to the great depth of material in the shaft, very little of the heat .will escape, and as the heated mass gradually moves down, the water will be driven off into some of the conduits inthe walls of the shaft. Since the temperature will vary considerably from point to point in the depth of the shaft, various materials will be volatilized and driven off into the fines at the end of the shaft. It is contemplated that certain of the fines will receive materials, such as producer gas, which may be lead to any desired receptacle for the same. Others of the fines will receive certain other volatile substances, such as volatile oils, tars, etc. 7

It is of course, contemplated that different products may be obtained from the furnace flues by changing the arrangement shown in the drawings, as for example :Itmight be found that all of the producer gas would be taken off at the lower pair of conduits, while each other conduit of the series might be found in use to deliver different products, in which event it would be necessary to provide a fine for each conduit. In order that the products of each conduit may be examined, each conduit is provided with an opening 25 into'the manway, said openings having suitable closures.

\Vhat I claim is e 1. In a. refuse destructor, the combination of a structure having a shaft, a plurality of twyers through. the walls. of the shaft near the bottom thereof, a plurality of chambers and a plurality of openings from the shaft into the chambers at a number of different zones therein, ash receptacles at the bottom of the shaft, and means to supply air to the shaft near the bottom thereof, substantially as described.

2. In a refuse destructor, the combination of a structure having a shaft, a plurality of twyers, a plurality of fines, and a plurality of openings from said shaft into the lines at a number of different levels therein; said openings from the shaft into the fines being so arranged as to deliver the products of reduction from different horizontal zones into different flues, ash receptacles at the bottom of the shaft; and means to draw air into a mass of burning material in said shaft.

8. In a refuse destructor, the combination of a structure having a shaft, a plurality of twyers, a plurality of fiues, and a lurality of openings over said shaft into said fiues at a number of difierent levels therein, said openings into the fines being so arranged as to deliver the products of reduction of said refuse from different levels into different flues; ash receptacles and pipes depending in said shaft to draw air into the burning mass of refuse in said shaft.

4:. In a refuse destructor, the combination of a structure having a shaft, a plurality of twyers, a plurality of fines, and a plurality of openings from the fines into the shaft at a number of different levels therein; ash hoppers at the bottom of the shaft; means to draw air into a mass of burning material in the shaft; and means to draw liquids from the said fines.

5. In a refuse destructor, the combination of a structure having a shaft, a plurality of twyers near the bottom of the shaft, a plurality of fines extending from the lower part of the shaft toward the upper part of the shaft, a plurality of horizontal flues surrounding the shaft at different levels, and openings from the shaft into the horizontal flues at a number of different levels therein; pipes extending from the upper part of the shaft nearly to the bottom thereof; ash receptacles at the bottom of the shaft; and pipes extending down into the first set of fiues for the removal of liquids therefrom.

6. A refuse destructor comprising a structure having a shaft, a plurality of twyers into said shaft, a plurality of fines and a plurality of openings from the fines into the shaft therein, said openings being so arranged as-to deliver the )roducts of reduction of said refuse from ifferent horizontal zones into different flues; ash receptacles at the bottom of the shaft; gates for the removal of said ash; a series of pipes depending in said shaft to draw air into a mass of burning material and to heat the material in the. upper portion of said shaft; and pipes for the removal of condensed liquids from the flues.

7 In a refuse destructor, a structure having a shaft, a plurality of twyers, a plurality of fines and plurality of openings from the fines into the shaft at different levels therein, said shaft being of such considerable depth as to maintain a mass of refuse at the point ceptacles and means to draw condensed liqof combustion in one part thetreof, While tile uids from the fines.

mass of material in said sha 't revents t e T escape of gases from the top thdieof; a plu- GEORGE CAMPBELL CARSON rality of pipes depending in said shaft for Vitnesses:

the purpose of drawing air into said mate- O. Y. DE LAY,

rial and heating the mass of refuse; ash re- FRED E. REED. 

